There’s good news to those of you who, like me, spent a good part of 2003-2004 with Postal Service’s Give Up on repeat (ah, remember those salad days, when you could still enjoy Garden State free from the knowledge of what a d-bag Zach Braff was, or how cliche Natalie Portman’s manic pixie girl character would become). Though Postal Service has not graced the airwaves with another record, I’ve found Faded Paper Figures‘ debut album Dynamo to be an excellent supplement for those craving pretty lyrical music with an electronic backbone.

That’s not to say Faded Paper Figures is merely a Ben-Gibbard side-project knockoff; the California trio ground their electronic sound with acoustic and electric guitar, combining the two elements to make a kind of electronic-folk hybrid. The vocals provided by R. John Williams are well complemented by Heather Alden’s harmonies which, when backed by Williams’ and Kael Alden’s instrumentals, produces a sweet sound which reminds this listener as much of Stars as it does Postal Service. And that is a beautiful thing.

I can’t listen to them yet because I’m at work (CVC = NSFW) but I’m loving the concept of Faded Paper Figures based on your amazing description above. I’ve definitely been craving a lil something to fill my Postal Service void. Thanks!

re: Zach Braff- Doesn’t everyone hate on Zach these days? I used to love him because of Scrubs and Garden State, but everytime I see something about him in the media, he comes off as a total creep-o. Also, I wanted an excuse to use the phrases “salad days” and “d-bag”, what can I say.
re: where I found Faded Paper Figures- I’ll never reveal my sources, mwahahaha

— Joan, October 22, 2008

I have no idea when that started, Scrubs alone has earned him a lifetime of goodwill from me.